Vocalizing-audi phone



(No Model.)

J. A. LAKIN. VOGALIZING AUDIPHONE.

Patented Jan. 5, 1897.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. LAKIN, OF \VESTFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

VOCALIZINGAUDIPHONE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 574,544, dated January 5, 1897.

Application filed October 22, 1896.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. LAKIN, acitizen of the United States of America, residing at IVestfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Voealizing-Audiphones, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to voealizing-audiphones and similar devices for amplifying speech-sounds, which are adapted to be applied directly to the ear of a person for said purpose, the object being to provide an improved construction and arrangement of the devices of said instrument wherebyarticulate speech is rendered distinct and clear; and the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the sound receiving and transmitting elements of the device, all as hereinafter fully described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a vocalizing-audiphone embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a front end view; and Fig. 3 is a similar View to Fig. l, but illustrating the internal sound receiving and transmitting elements of the instru ment from other points of view to the illustration thereof of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a detail part hereinafter described.

In the drawings, A indicates the main case part of the instrument which is of circular concave form; and B the ear-tube, extending from said case. 0 is the perforated cover of the said part A. The said parts A, B, and O are made, preferably, of hard rubber, and said cover has a border 3, which has atightspringlike engagement with a similar border on said case part A, whereby said cover is retained thereon. A dome-shaped element D is secured rigidly by its apex to the interior of the cover 0, preferably bya rivet 4. Said element D I term the vocalizing-chamber dome, and it is preferably of thin sheet metal of a dense or hard nature, whereby a resonant quality is imparted thereto.

The heroin-described audiphone may consist simply of said case parts A, B, and O and said dome D, whereby good vocal effects are produced, or may comprise another element,

below described, whereby said effects are in- Serial no. 609,704. so modelfl tensilied. A receiving-chamber E for reflected sounds is provided within a hollow sound-receiver E of conical form. Said receiver is also preferably made of thin sheet metal of a dense and resonant quality, and has its larger end secured to the inner surface of said dome D and its opposite or smaller end extending toward and preferably slightly within the end of the ear-tube B, where it joins said case part A. Said receiverE while secured to said dome, as aforesaid, has in practice its border adjoining said dome standing away about one-sixteenth of an inch, more or less, from said dome, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and is supported in such position of separation by two narrow projections or posts 5 5, extending between said receiver and dome and secured by their extremities to the latter by soldering or other suitable means, whereby said receiver is maintained permanently in said separated position, as shown.

The above-described audiphone construction and the arrangement of the parts of the same are found to amplify sounds to a great degree, which are received through the perforated cover (1. The space inclosed by the case part A and the cover C is the vocalizingchamber, and D is the said vocalizing-dome, and within said conical element E is said sound-reflecting chamber E. Thus within said case, as described, are provided said dome D and sound receiver E interconnected and both supported in said case by a single connection 4 with the said cover O, and thereby said parts D and E are free for most advantageous resonant action induced by sound-waves passing through said cover there-- against. Said resonant action is due to the movement of sound-waves substantially in the directions indicated by the several arrows shown in Fig. 3. That is to say, the sounds passing through the said cover 0 are received mainly against the outer side of said domeD and against the concave surface of the said bowl-shaped part of the case A, from whence sound-waves are reflected upwardly into said dome and from there back into said receivin g-chamber E, and thence into the ear-tube I3. Certain of said sound-waves received in said case A may pass by the dome Dinto said ear-tube, as indicated by certain of said arrows, amplified more or less by the action of said demo; but the sharpest and most distinet tones are produced by their passage be tween the inner wall of the dome and the receiver E" and thence through the receivingehamher E.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A vocalizing-audiphone comprising a hollow case having an ear-tube extending from one side and aperforated cover applied to the opposite side thereof, combined with a dome of resonant material secured by its apex to the inner side of said cover, and a hollow cone-shaped sound-receiver connected by one end to the inner surface of said dome, but mainly se 'iarated therefrom, substantiall as set forth.

2. A vocalizing-audiphone comprising a hollow case having an eawtube extending; from one side and a perforated cover applied I hollow case having an ear-tul e extending;

from one side and a perforated coverappliml to the opposite side thereol, combined with a dome of resonant material secured by its apex to the inner side of said cover substantially as set forth,

.lllllllilrl A. lnllil'N.

Witnesses:

ii. A. (EL-SPIN, K. I. CLEHONS. 

